Sgt. Gary Okins of the sheriff’s office said a 39-year-old rural Dodge County resident, who lives east of Blooming Prairie, shot and killed himself after a deputy utilized a PIT maneuver to end the chase.

The man’s name is pending withheld pending notification of relatives.

Okins said the man, who was armed with a handgun, was being investigated for making terroristic threats of violence toward an Owatonna resident.

An autopsy is being conducted by the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester. No drugs or alcohol are believed to be involved.

Highway 30 was reopened about 3 p.m., several hours after authorities finished their investigation of the incident.

The Times will have more on this developing story in Tuesday’s print edition.

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Highway 30 is closed in both directions at County Road 46 just outside of Blooming Prairie after a high-speed police pursuit.

No details are available at this time, but it appears the driver shot himself in his vehicle. A white tarp has been placed over the passenger’s side window.

Emergency crews from Steele County Sheriff, Blooming Prairie Police, Owatonna Police and the Minnesota State Patrol are on the scene at this time.

The Times will have more on this story as details become available.

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